After All
by MaryFan1
Summary: Widowed, single mom Mary Richards Phillips moves to Minneapolis but finds more than just the love and support of her parents. Can the gang at WJM help Mary adjust to her new life?
1. Chapter 1

The guests had gone and the house was eerily quiet once again. Mary sat in her bedroom amid her husbands clothes in piles on the bed. Some were going to goodwill and others, like his suits, would be donated to charity or given to a consignment shop. She ran her hand over one of his cashmere sweaters. It still smelled of the cologne he wore, a smell that normally comforted her, but nearly brought her to tears on this day. The past week had been a blur and somehow she thought, it had to be a dream. It couldn't be real. Bill wasn't really dead and he would walk in any minute wondering what on earth his clothes were doing all over the place. A knock on the door brought her back to reality.

"Sweetheart," her mother said opening the door and poking her head in, "Are you alright?"

Mary wiped her eyes, "Yeah, Mom, I'm okay."

Dottie came in and closed the door behind her, "I put all the food away. Are you sure you don't want your father and me to stay tonight?"

"No, you need to get back to Minneapolis. Dad's already missed a week of teaching." Mary's father Walter Richards had recently begun teaching at the medical school in Minneapolis after a long career as a heart surgeon

Dottie sat down next to her daughter, "Honey, we're here for you, whatever you need as long as you need us." She put her arm around her, "And you don't have to do all this right now."

Mary smiled slightly, "I know but you can't stay here forever." She got up and walked over to the closet to get the last of Bill's things, "And if I don't do this now I may never do it."

"You don't have to stay here either." Dottie said, she had been trying to get Mary to move to Minneapolis with the children, five-year old Emily and three-year old Jacob

"Mom, I can't just pick up and move. I'd have to sell the house, find a job." Mary explained laying the clothes in another pile on the bed

"Not right away, you've got money from Bill's insurance policy. That should last a while." Dottie got up and smoothed the bedspread, "Besides, who else better to help with the children than your mother."

"Mom, I appreciate that but give me some time to think. I feel like I've been on autopilot this week." Mary looked at herself in the mirror. Dark circles seemed to swallow her eyes

"I know, but I just hate to leave you here alone." She said

"I'm not alone, I've got the kids and they need me to be strong for them. They barely understand what happened." Both children had been put down for a nap after the funeral

"Well, alright, but we'll call you after we get home tonight to make sure you're alright." Dottie gave her a hug

Mary followed her downstairs and said goodbye to them. She spent the rest of the afternoon getting Bill's things organized and calling places to come pick up what they could and putting the rest in her car to take. Her next door neighbor, Mrs. Kline watched the children while she ran errands and by nightfall she was exhausted. She sat in the living room with a glass of wine determined not to cry. She had already cried enough, now it was time to figure things out. The money Bill left would be enough for a while but she would have to get a job eventually. The house wasn't paid off so that was a concern. She looked around the perfectly decorated room and contemplated her once perfectly decorated life. She married the right man, and they loved each other, had two beautiful children, and led an ideal life. Then one rainy night just a week ago, it all came crashing down. It was Emily's fifth birthday and, as usual, Bill was stuck at work all day. She knew he hated it but there wasn't much he could do. People still get sick, despite his daughter's birthday. He had worked two back to back shifts in the ER and instead of sleeping for a while in the lounge before heading home; he was determined to make it home before Emily went to bed to wish her a happy birthday. The rain was pouring and he was dog tired. He drifted off to sleep and before he could do anything he drifted into the opposite lane hitting a truck head on. Mary had been asleep only to be awoken by loud knocking on the door. She got up assuming it was Bill. He'd had trouble getting his key to work in the lock before but just hadn't gotten a new one. But it wasn't Bill at the door. It was two police officers. "Mrs. Phillips," One of them said. "Yes, what is it officer?" She asked. "It's your husband ma'am." After that she couldn't remember anything except screaming for him. A loud clap of thunder shook her from her reverie. She finished off her glass of wine and went to check on the children before going to bed.

She opened the door and peeked at her daughter, sleeping so peacefully and came over to the bed and quietly sat down beside her. She had no idea how she would take care of them by herself. She stroked her daughter's dark hair.

"Mommy." Emily said sleepily, "Is it morning?"

"No, darling, go back to sleep." She kissed her forehead and adjusted her covers

Emily closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. Mary got up and went to check on her son who she had heard faintly crying. She entered the room and saw him sitting up in his big boy race car bed with the side railings up

"Hey, Jake, what's the matter, sweetie?" She picked him up and sat in the rocking chair with him, "Did you have a bad dream?"

He nodded his head. His breathing was rapid and shallow. She rubbed his back and rocked him back and forth, "It's okay, baby, it's okay. I know, I miss him too." His crying began to cease and as she continued to rock him the tears began to fall

_Damn it, Bill, why did you leave me?_

_TBC...Mary makes the move to Minneapolis_


	2. Chapter 2

The movers had left and Mary and her parents were busily unpacking. After a great deal of thought Mary had decided to move to Minneapolis. It had been two months since Bill's death and she had been staying with her parents for about a month. She had sold the house in Roseburg, paid off the mortgage and what was left of Bill's medical school loans. What was left was put away for the kids' college education. She took a few hundred out to pay first and last months rent on a duplex across town from her parents. Dottie had tried in vain to talk her into using the money that was left to buy nice little house but Mary wanted to at least have something to give her children for their future. Now all she needed was a job. A family friend, Phyllis Lindstrom had helped find the duplex across the street from her. She looked after to place since the owners had moved away.

Mary was unpacking boxes in the living room while her mother unpacked the kitchen. The duplex was hardly fancy and the furniture she had so painstakingly picked out for their home in Roseburg seemed out of place against the drab paneling and green shag carpet. Mary was filling up the built-ins with books when the doorbell rang.

She opened it to find a woman about her age with a pleasant smile, "Hi ya, I'm your fellow duplex dweller, Rhoda Morgenstern. I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood."

Mary smiled, "Hi, Mary Phillips, come on in," She opened the door and Rhoda stepped in, "You'll have to excuse the mess, I'm still unpacking."

"That's alright, I've been in my place three years and I still haven't unpacked everything." She joked. Rhoda looked around and noticed the expensive furniture and figured this girl must have a story.

"Well, you know what they say, you never how much stuff you accumulate until you move." Mary said

Dottie walked out of the kitchen holding two silver candle holders, "Honey, what do you want to do with these?"

Mary saw what she was holding and froze for a moment, they had been a wedding gift, "Oh, Mom, just put those back in the box, I don't want to use them."

"Sweetheart, they are very nice. Are you sure?" Dottie asked

Mary sighed, "Mom, please, just put them away."

"Alright, dear, if that's what you want." Dottie said going back in the kitchen

Rhonda had watched the uncomfortable exchange and thought they must have been a gift from an old boyfriend, "Bad memories, huh?"

Mary opened another box, "No, not really." She wasn't about to tell a total stranger her life story

"But a gift from a past love?" Rhoda asked again

Boy this woman is pushy, Mary thought, "Not exactly." She said unpacking knick knacks from the box

Dottie came back out of the kitchen, "Well, the kitchen is all unpacked. Shall I start on the bedrooms?"

Mary looked at her mother, "No, that's okay," she smiled and introduced her to Rhoda, "Mom, this is my neighbor Rhoda Morgenstern."

"Dottie Richards, nice to meet you Rhoda." The two shook hands

"Nice to meet you, Dottie," Rhoda noticed the last names were different and deduced that her new neighbor must have just gotten divorced, "Now I see. It's starting to make sense."

"What's starting to make sense?" Mary asked

"Why your furniture looks more out of house and garden than early motel, the lovely motif of this duplex." She quipped, "You got the furniture in the divorce. You are divorced, right?"

Mary and Dottie looked at each other and Mary decided she might as well tell her, it's wasn't like it was a secret, "No, Rhoda, I'm not," She paused, "My husband died two months ago."

The normally quick witted Rhoda was nearly speechless, "Oh, my goodness, I'm…I'm so sorry. Mary, really, I feel just terrible."

Mary smiled slightly, "That's alright, they say it gets easier with time."

"Well, kid, if you need anything, anything at all, you just say the word." Rhoda assured her

"Thanks, I appreciate that," She headed to the kitchen, "Why don't I make a pot of coffee for us?"

"Oh, I'll do that, honey. You two relax." Dottie said.

"Thanks, Mom," She headed to the sofa, "Sit, down Rhoda," She gestured to the chair "So, you've heard my story, why don't you tell me yours."

"Not much to tell, I'm single, no kids and I dress mannequins for a living." Rhoda said

"You're a window dresser? That's sounds like fun." Mary said

"Well, actually..." Rhoda began but was interrupted by the kids bursting through the front door followed by Walter, he had taken them to park and for ice cream, "Hi, Mommy!" they walked over to the sofa

"Hey, guys, did you have a good time with Grandpa?" She asked looking over their chocolate stained faces and Jake had, as usual, managed to get more ice cream on his shirt than in his mouth

"Uh huh." They both said in unison

"Well, I'd like you to meet our neighbor, Ms. Morgenstern." Mary paused, "Rhoda, somewhere under these chocolate stains are my children, Emily and Jacob and this handsome gentleman is my father, Walter."

"Nice to meet you Walter," Rhoda's heart broke, not only was her new friend a widow but had children, "and it's nice to meet you guys and if it's alright, you can call me Aunt Rhoda."

"Can we, Mommy? She seems nice." Emily said

"Well, alright, now you guys go wash up, okay?" Mary said patting Jake gently on the backside

"Okay." Emily said taking Jacob by the hand, "Come on, Jake."

"Remember, Emily that means you make sure Jake actually uses soap." Mary called after them them then turned to her father, "Thanks for taking them, Dad. It really helped us get some things done."

Walter sat at the other end of the sofa, "That's a nice park, Mary. It looked like a lot of young mothers must take their kids there."

Rhoda stood up, "Listen, I appreciate the offer for coffee but I really need to run."

Mary stood up and followed her to the door, "Well, it was nice meeting you. I hope the kids didn't scare you off and that you'll come back."

"Oh please, after some of the dates I've have, a couple of sticky cherub faced kids is nothing." Rhoda quipped, "I'll see ya later, kid."

"Bye," Mary said closing the door behind her

Dottie came out of the kitchen with the coffee, "Oh, did Rhoda leave?" She asked setting the coffee pot down on the table

"Yeah," Mary said turned from the door

"She seemed very nice, Mary." Dottie observed

"Yes, she did." Mary agreed, hoping she had maybe made a friend

TBC...Mary interviews at WJM


	3. Chapter 3

Mary stood in front of the mirror checking her makeup and her outfit. She had been in the duplex a couple of weeks and finally had a job interview. She had tried on just about every outfit she had. Rhoda and Phyllis sat on the bed trying to give her a pep talk.

"Mare, you have tried on at least a dozen dresses and they all look sensational. What are you worried about?" Rhoda asked

"Everything," Mary said turning to the side, "I haven't worked since before Emily was born."

"So? You said you took that refresher course on typing and shorthand. You should have no trouble getting that secretarial job." Rhoda assured her

"Mary, you've got to go in there and sell yourself. You've got to make them want to hire you." Phyllis said handing her the magazine she had been reading, "Look, it's all here in this article."

Rhoda took the article and looked at it, rolling her eyes, "This is the advice you want to give her? 'Use your feminine wiles to charm the interviewer and he'll be eating out of your hand.' You're a real Gloria Steinem, Phyl."

Phyllis glared at her, "There are times, Rhoda, when being feminine is appropriate to get what you want. The word is feminism, after all. Not that you would know anything about that. "

Mary laughed, "Yeah, sell myself. I can just hear them now, 'So Mrs. Phillips, I see you haven't worked in over five years, what exactly have you been doing?' to which I will reply, 'I was a dutiful doctor's wife and mother of two beautiful children, one of whom surely isn't about to walk into this bedroom with a Popsicle, Jacob William." She had seen him out of the corner of her eye and turned to see that he was just outside the doorway grinning with a purple ring around his mouth, holding a melting Popsicle

Bess, Phyllis's daughter appeared in the doorway, "Jake, come on," She grabbed his hand, "Sorry Aunt Mary, I turned my back for one second to get Emily some juice and he was out of his chair."

"It's alright, darling," Mary said looking at her watch, "Oh, no, I'm gonna be late."

"Mary, you'll do great, kid." Rhoda stood up and took Mary's hands in hers, "I just know you'll get it."

Phyllis pushed Rhoda out of the way, "Just remember, stand up straight and look confident." She instructed her

Mary looked at her friends, "Thank you both, I appreciate the encouragement," She said then addressed Rhoda, "Are you sure you don't mind watching the kids until my mom gets here? I know it's not how planned to spend your day off." Dottie had a doctor's appt that was taking longer than she expected

"Mind? I can't wait to get my hands on those little angels." Rhoda said

"Angels? Boy do they have you fooled." Mary joked as they exited her bedroom

"You know I would stay, Mary but I do have that committee meeting." Phyllis told her

"I know, Phyl, it's alright." Mary assured her, Phyllis had apologized over and over, it was like she was competing with Rhoda

They wished her good luck once more and Mary headed out the door to the WJM Newsroom for her interview.

**WJM NEWSROOM**

Mary walked into the newsroom and WJM TV. She had stopped in the bathroom for one last inspection. With two small children, it was easy to get out of the house without noticing that they grabbed at you with grubby hands. After determining her appearance was at least acceptable, she tried to mentally psyche herself up. She approached a man sitting at the first desk she saw.

"Excuse me. I'm here to see Mr. Grant about the secretarial job."

"He'll be back in a minute but that job is filled." He said without looking up from his typewriter

"Oh." She said disappointed

Another man approached them, "Now, Murray, there's no need to be rude. If this young lady came in here about the secretarial job then let Mr. Grant talk to her," He said then addressed Mary, "Come with me, Miss."

"Alright." She said and followed him into an office

"So when do you think Mr. Grant will be back." She asked

"I'm Mr. Grant." He said sitting behind the desk, "Have a seat."

Mary sat in the chair across from him, "Mr. Grant is the job really filled?"

"Yeah, it's filled." He said

She stood up, "Oh."

"Sit down, there's another job."

"Oh." She said sitting back down

"But I think a man might be better for it." He explained, "But we can talk about it."

Mary smiled, relieved, "Good. What is the job?"

"Associate Producer of the six o'clock news." He said, "But it pays ten dollars less a week than the secretarial job."

"Associate Producer? Well, I don't have any experience with that." Mary said sadly

"That's alright, our anchorman has no experience with the English language and he still works here." He quipped, "Let me see your resume."

She handed it to him, "I'm afraid I haven't worked in several years but I can type and do shorthand, take dictation."

Lou looked over her resume, "Miss, that won't do you much good for this job. But I'll look over your resume and be in touch."

Mary smiled, "Thank you, Mr. Grant." She said and got up and exited the office

Mary returned home certain she wouldn't get the job. After putting the kids to bed she sat in the living room reading with a glass of wine when the doorbell rang. She looked at her watch, it was almost ten. She got up to answer the door and found Lou Grant standing on the other side.

"Mr. Grant, what are you doing here?" She asked

"Well, I was in the neighborhood, you know this area has some of the best bars in town, and I felt like I kind of brushed you off today." He explained

"Oh, well come in." She stepped back and he came inside, "I would offer you a drink but I would guess you don't need one."

"Listen, I came here to tell you…" he started

"Mommy."

Mary turned around to see Emily and Jake, "Hey, what are you two doing out of bed?"

"Jake heard a noise and came into my room." Emily explained

"Big truck." Jake said trying to describe what he had heard

She came over to them and bent down, "Well, tell you what. Why don't you two get in my bed and we'll sleep together tonight, how about that?"

"Mr. Bear, too?" Jake asked referring to his beloved teddy bear

"Of course, we can't leave him by himself." Mary assured him, "Go ahead and I'll be there in minute. I need to finish talking to Mr. Grant."

Emily looked at Lou, "Are you going to give my mommy a job?"

"Oh, well, I uh..." Lou stammered

"Emily, it's not polite to ask that." Mary gently scolded her

"I'm sorry, Mommy." Emily said

"It's alright, darling, now you two go on and get in bed." Mary said

"Okay." Emily took Jake by the hand and they left the room

Lou had watched the scene unfold. He had come there to try and explain why he wasn't going to hire her, but how could he not?

She turned her attention back to Lou, "Sorry about that. I think she overheard me mentioning you to my friends earlier." She explained

"I had no idea you had children." He said, "Your job application in personnel said you were single."

"I know," Mary said, "There's no place to mark widowed."

"Oh, I'm …I'm sorry." He stumbled

"Thank you," Mary replied, "So what did you want to tell me?"

"Tell you?" he said trying to think of something, "I uh, I uh …I wanted to tell you to be sure and stop by personnel to get the tax forms when you start day after tomorrow."

"Start? You mean I got the job?" Mary asked

Lou knew he might regret this but she reminded him of his own daughters, "Yeah, you got the job."

"Oh, Mr. Grant, thank you!" She hugged him

"Alright, alright," he said pulling away, "One thing I hate is hugging, so remember, no hugging in my newsroom, you got that?"

"Right, no hugging." She assured him, "Good night, Mr. Grant."

"Good night, Mary." He said opening the door to leave


	4. Chapter 4

Mary stood in front of her closet trying to decide what to wear for her first day of work in the morning. She was terribly nervous. It had been so long since she had worked and this was a job she had no experience doing. She was so grateful for the chance that she didn't want to blow it. She heard giggling and turned around to find her children standing there.

"Alright you two, back to bed." She instructed them

"Can we sleep with you again, Mommy?" Emily asked

"Honey, not tonight, Mommy has to go work in the morning." Mary said

"Who's going to take care of us if you're at work?" Emily asked

Mary walked over and sat on the bed, "Come here," She gestured for them to join her. Jake got in her lap and Emily sat next to her, "I told you Grandma is going to come over and stay with you while I'm at work."

"Don't go Mommy." Jake looked up at her with his blue eyes

She hugged him tightly, "Oh, how I wish I didn't have to."

"It's because Daddy's not here isn't it?" Emily asked

"Yes, sweetheart, it is," Mary stroked her hair, "I have to work to take care of you. We wouldn't have any money if I didn't."

"I miss Daddy." Emily told her

"Me, too." Jake echoed

Mary felt tears form in her eyes, "So do I."

After putting the kids back to bed she decided to take a nice hot bath to help calm her nerves. She got out of the bath and sat on the bed again, looking around the room. She thought about their home in Roseburg, so warm and inviting. She tried to make the duplex feel like home but it still in some ways felt foreign to her. There were mornings she woke up thinking she would find Bill asleep next to her. She had done her best to keep it together for her children but thinking about her first day at work she longed to go back in time and have luxury of staying home with her children. She thought of all the things she would probably miss. She had always planned to go back to work at some point, but not until both kids were in school. She was doing the only thing she knew to do to take care of them. She wanted to show them that when you get knocked down you pick yourself up. She wanted to instill them the strength to get through anything. Something she was only now learning about herself. She got up, pulled the covers back and got in bed. Tears slid down her cheeks onto the pillow.

**WJM NEWSROOM-THE NEXT MORNING**

So far the morning had gone fairly smooth. Her mother arrived at her house and the kids were on their best behavior so getting out of the house was not a huge ordeal. She had spent some time with Lou going over the responsibilities and what she would be learning. It all seemed overwhelming but despite his gruff exterior he seemed to be a fairly patient man. They came out of his office and Lou introduced her to some of the other staff.

"Murray, this is our new Associate Producer, Mary Phillips," He explained, "Mary, this is Murray Slaughter, our news writer."

"Yeah, I remember you from the other day, nice to meet ya." Murray said

"Thank you." Mary said, "Nice to meet you, Murray."

"Murray, would you show Mary the news feed and explain how that works?" Lou asked

"Sure, it's right over here." Murray got up and walked to the other room

"Mary, if you need anything, let one of us know. You're in good hands with Murray, he may know more about this operation than I do." Lou assured her

"Thank you, Mr. Grant." She said and walked over to where Murray was

"Okay, this is where the news comes in from various sources like the AP,that's Associated Press or UPI, United Press International. We get the stories and I write them up for Ted Baxter, our anchorman to read. This thing dings when something comes in. We just take turns getting it."

"Alright, that doesn't sound too hard." Mary said starting to relax a little

"Well, you're not the one who has to write for Twiddle Dumb." Murray quipped walking back over to his desk

Mary sat down at her desk and started unpacking a few personal things, "He can't be that bad, Murray." She said setting a picture of the kids on her desk

"You must have never watched our show," Murray said, glancing over, he noticed the picture, "Cute kids, are they yours?"

Mary smiled, "Yes, Emily is five and Jacob, we call him Jake, is three."

"So what does your husband do?" Murray asked, Lou hadn't told anyone she was widowed, he felt it wasn't his place

"Didn't Mr. Grant tell you?" She began, "My husband died almost three months ago."

Murray face fell, "Oh, hey, I'm sorry, nobody said anything."

"Nobody said anything about what?" Lou asked walking out of his office

Murray got up and pulled Lou to the side, "Why didn't you tell me she was a widow? I saw the picture of her kids and asked her about her husband."

"Because, Murray, I don't go around telling other employees about one's personal life." Lou said then lowered his voice, "Besides, I didn't want to her think I felt sorry for her."

Mary, still able to hear him, got up and walked over to them, "Excuse me, Mr. Grant, but did you only give me this job because my husband died?"

"Well, I uh." He stammered looking away

"Can we talk in your office?" She asked

Lou sighed, 'Alright." he said heading to his office

She walked in behind him and closed the door, "Mr. Grant, however grateful I am for this job, I don't want pity."

Lou spoke with all the sincerity he could muster, "It's not pity, Mary, I promise."

Mary was unconvinced, "You came over the other night to tell me you weren't going to hire me, didn't you?"

He looked down for a moment, "Alright, yeah, that was what I was going to do but then I saw your kids and you told me about your husband and I knew how much you needed a job."

"Well, I appreciate your willingness to take a chance on me but..." Mary began

"You don't want the job now?" He asked, "Look, maybe I shouldn't have been a softy but you remind me of my own daughters and if they were in your situation I would hope someone would help them."

Mary smiled, "Okay, but if you aren't happy with me, I want to be treated like everyone else."

Lou smiled back, "Deal."

They walked out of his office to find Ted Baxter reading over his news copy. Mary took her seat at her desk

Ted looked up from his paper "Say Lou, I think we need to have a talk about the towels in my dressing room."

"Not now Ted." Lou said walking into his office and closing the door

"That's alright, I'll catch you later." Ted said to the closed door then turned around to Mary, "Well, well, who might you be?"

"Ted, this is Mary Phillips, our new Associate Producer." Murray told him as he turned his attention back to his writing

"It's nice to meet you Ted." She said straightening some things on her desk and Ted noticed the absence of a wedding ring

"Well, lovely lady." Ted flirted, "If you need anything, anything at all, just let me know."

"Thank you, Ted. I appreciate how friendly everyone has been." Mary said

"Uh, Ted, can I see you for a minute over by the newsfeed?" Murray asked

"Sure, Mur." He said without taking his eyes off Mary made his way over to Murray

Murray spoke in hushed tones, "Ted, before you do anything stupid, that girl is a widow. Her husband just died a few months ago, so back off."

"Hey, what better to help her move on that the old Baxter charm?" Ted said smoothing his hair

"She has kids Ted." Murray informed him

"Oh well, maybe it's best to just, uh, leave it alone," Ted agreed and walked back over to Mary, "Say Mary, I just want to say welcome to WJM. I hope you like it here."

"Thanks, Ted." Mary said smiling to herself at his earlier pomposity

Ted turned and headed into the studio

"Just ignore him, Mary. His ego is bigger than his brain." Murray explained

Mary laughed, maybe she had found her place after all.

The End

Stay tuned for the yet to be titled sequel. Will Mary find love again?


End file.
